The Buffalo Sabres are currently tied for 29th in the NHL with 41 goals scored, which represents a sharp decline from 2024-25 when they ranked eighth in the league at season's end, but head coach Lindy Ruff remains confident the offense is going to come alive.
Ruff, who's watched his team slide into last place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-6-4 record, believes the Sabres are creating chances at a higher rate than the baseline numbers suggest.
"I think when you look at expected goals and some of the opportunities that have gone by the wayside, we've created enough opportunities," he told Bill Hoppe of the Daily Herald. 'We just haven't finished. I'd be worried if we weren't creating enough."
Ruff has a point. Buffalo rates 12th in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) at 5-on-5 with 2.65, according to Natural Stat Trick. They drop to 19th in all-situations xGF/60 (3.09) in large part because of a power play that remains endlessly frustrating, though.
Sabres' scoring woes amid injury crisis should be ringing alarm bells for Buffalo's front office
Although Ruff's comments have merit, the Sabres also have to weigh the fact they're dealing with a rash of key injuries that have decimated their forward group.
Buffalo is currently without Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Jason Zucker and Justin Danforth up front. Norris and Kulich are both facing long-term absences.
You can't expect your team to finish at the same rate when four members of your season-opening projected top six aren't in the lineup.
In turn, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams should already be aggressive on the NHL trade market in an attempt to halt the team's slide.
It's fair to point out the lack of deals that usually occur early in the season. Most teams usually wait until the trade deadline in March before deciding to whether buy or sell.
That's not always the case, though.
Last November, the Washington Capitals acquired Lars Eller from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a pair of draft picks. By no means in Eller a superstar, but he's long been a reliable middle-six contributor who's scored double-digit goals 12 times in his career.
Sure, Buffalo would love to acquire a high-end offensive talent, but that's probably not going to happen at this stage. Finding a couple veterans in the Eller category who can help buoy the lineup until the team starts getting players back from injury would help, though.
The Sabres are coming off a season where a 13-game losing streak from November into December essentially ended their playoff hopes before Christmas. They can't afford a repeat performance.
A trade (or two) to acquire some offensive reinforcements may be the only way to avoid that fate.